Self-Published Author's Musing On Writing and Life

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Collective Update (including “The Duel” free promo on Amazon):

It has been a while since I last posted anything, and I have made up for it somewhat by including two new excerpts of shorts – one is the continuation of the fan fiction series “Transitions”, and the other is part of a new sci-fi/futurist short set in the same world/universe as “The Duel”.

Also, “The Duel” is finally live on Amazon and will be free starting tonight at midnight.

So, what have I been up to? Well, about two weeks ago now, my wife was t-boned by an inattentive driver who ran a stop sign. She has whiplash and the vehicle she was driving is a total loss – but, all in all, it could have been worse.

Then, a few days later, the youngest child became ill with a cold/flu thing. A few days after that, the middle child broke her leg playing on furniture (kids: listen to your parents, we have rules for a reason!). With my wife’s injuries, and two kids down sick/injured, as well as dealing with insurance, I have been extra busy.

A speck, a tiny point of light in an endless blanket of darkness, moving at a galactic snail’s pace – but at speeds humanity never before achieved. DSV Tellus, Deep Space Ventures’s first manned spacecraft destined for the asteroid belt, uses a hybrid mass driver engine to accelerate to over one half of a billion kilometers per hour.

Commander Isabelle Lyle’s crew is in for more than just a simple mining survey mission, however. Somewhere between their position in the cold of space, and the dwarf planet Ceres, their destination, an unknown threat waits.

Their mission could be the turning point for mankind – one of the greatest moments in all of history – or a tragedy for all involved.

Another short story set in the same sci-fi/futurist universe as “The Duel”. The basic premise behind “Competition” comes from a natural offshoot of the corporation-centric world “The Duel” was set in: that, in this near-future, corporations have taken over much of the roles once performed by the public sector. In this case, it is policing.

So, I think that covers much of what has been going on. Life continues, albeit at a faster pace than one desires.